Dunedin businessman sentenced for attempted commercial sexual exploitation of minor

The man appeared today in the Dunedin District Court, where he pleaded guilty to attempting to enter into a commercial sexual relationship with a person aged under 18. Photo / George Heard

A 17-year-old girl told a court that an attempt to exploit her by a man she had trusted left her “disgusting, ashamed”, and unable to be touched by her partner.

The man, who was charged with attempting to enter into a commercial sexual relationship with a person aged under 18, was sentenced to four months’ community detention and ordered to pay a total of $5000 in emotional harm reparations by Judge David Robinson in the Dunedin District Court today.

The defendant, who pleaded guilty, sought a discharge without conviction and permanent name suppression.

The defendant’s lawyer, Meg Scally, argued that the consequences of a conviction would be out of proportion to the offence as his work was “very public-facing”.

She said he had been under “immense life pressure” at the time of the offending, including family strain, business stress, and what she described as a reactionary and unsustainable reliance on alcohol.

Judge Robinson rejected permanent name suppression, though he made a final order suppressing the victim’s identity and an interim order preserving the defendant’s name for five days to allow an appeal.

He outlined the facts of the offending: the defendant met the teenage victim through her father and knew she was close in age to his own daughter.

In 2024, he began communicating with the girl on Facebook Messenger and Snapchat, initially offering her small financial support.

Between July 20 and August 18, 2024, he offered the girl $700 in exchange for sexual intercourse.

Although she never accepted, he repeatedly reminded her that the offer remained, telling her she might enjoy the experience.

The girl eventually blocked him to stop the contact.

When spoken to by police, the defendant admitted the conduct and said he had been drinking heavily after the end of a relationship.

Reading her victim impact statement, the young woman described first meeting the man when she was in primary school, and said he had always been someone she trusted.

But when she became vulnerable, she said, that trust was weaponised against her.

“In the darkness, I was offered money but not without a price,” she told the court.

“I was asked to do sexual things in return. I felt like I had no choice. I was desperate. I had nothing, and this person saw that … and used it against me.”

She said she was “lost mentally, emotionally”, and had been “in survival mode”.

The impact, she said, was deliberate and devastating.

“What followed has been the most painful year of my life. What was done to me shattered my sense of self-worth. It made me feel disgusting, ashamed and broken. I couldn’t speak about it for a while.

“I still struggle to understand how someone who knew how desperate I was could use that to exploit someone in such a way.”

The victim broke down in tears, and her impact statement was continued by police counsel.

“This wasn’t just a mistake or a lapse of judgment. It was a choice to exploit someone vulnerable.”

The court was told the offending changed how the victim saw people and relationships, especially with men.

“I couldn’t let my boyfriend touch me. Even the gentlest, most innocent contact affected me. It has made it hard for me to feel safe.”

The court was told the victim chose to speak publicly in court because the behaviour needed to be confronted.

“No one should ever be treated that way.”

Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.